"Jarno is a winner" - Lotto-Intermarché fully behind leader Widar at Vuelta a Espana as team name line-up with general classification goal
Cycling
Lotto-Intermarché are backing young gun Jarno Widar at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, naming him their leader as they prepare to support him in a general classification push in his first Grand Tour.
The 20-year-old in his first season at ProTeam level, but has seen his campaign interrupted by a serious knee injury in training after a promising start to the season at the Volta ao Algarve. Widar returned at GP Gippingen to finish sixth before preparing for his first three-week race at Clasica San Sebastian and Vuelta a Burgos.
With an ambitious line-up focused around the underage sensation, the Belgian team hope to finish in the top five in the general classification, preaching that an ambitious mindset can deliver success right from the off.
“Jarno is a winner, and that is the mindset he takes with him to Monaco. We are aiming for a stage win," Sports director Mario Aerts said on the team's website.
"At the same time, he– and we as a team– could already be very proud if he manages to finish in the top five over the next three weeks. We deliberately don’t want to set a specific GC target. This is Widar’s very first Grand Tour."
Widar backed up by ambitious young squad
Noting his unproven claim towards a three-week race, Aerts sees a chance to gain experience and a willingness to take a Grand Tour on face value one day at a time as the big goals heading to the Monaco start.
"He has never raced for more than eight consecutive days before, so there is still a lot for him to learn. He needs to discover how his body responds to three weeks of racing and how he recovers from one stage to the next.
"The most important thing is that he gains experience, without pressure. We will take the Vuelta day by day and see where that takes us.”
Widar will have Luca Van Boven, Lorenzo Rota, Reuben Thompson, Roel van Sintmaartensdijk and Lars Craps in support. Meanwhile, or the sprint stages, Lotto-Intermarché brings Steffen De Schuyteneer and Vito Braet.
The team will also wear a special pink jersey for the race, avoiding the potential clash with the race's iconic red leader's jersey - ensuring the young team stand out from many of the other teams at the race.
Lotto-Intermarché
Lotto-Intermarché at La Vuelta
| Cyclist | Nation |
| Jarno Widar | Belgium |
| Lars Craps | Belgium |
| Lorenzo Rota | Italy |
| Luca Van Boven | Belgium |
| Reuben Thompson | New Zealand |
| Roel van Sintmaartensdijk | Netherlands |
| Steffen De Schuyteneer | Belgium |
| Vito Braet | Belgium |
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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